Coping when your world is turned upside down can sometimes be nearly impossible. When you lose a child like so many of the families we serve you realize how fragile life can be. It is often hard to imagine ever smiling, laughing or finding joy again. There are good days and bad days There are times when somethings makes you feel worse, and other days someone's kindness make it better.

“Our family was changed forever when our sweet Lucy was diagnosed with AML at 14 months old. We were originally treated at Robert Wood Johnson in New Brunswick, N.J., but later transferred to CHOP after our first 55 day in-patient stay, where we first found out and benefited from the generous work of ConKerr Cancer, now Ryan’s Case for Smiles. We were in our daughter’s very sterile room and she was given a bright and fun ‘Dora the Explorer’ pillowcase. It is amazing how it transformed her room!

My daughter progressed in her treatment, but we were headed towards bone marrow transplant and would be back to CHOP after a quick stay at home. We needed to change her linens daily, we couldn’t use our own stuffed animals or blankets unless they were laundered daily. We spent Christmas, New Years, and Easter in the bone marrow transplant unit and we were fortunate to have the most adorable pillowcases to decorate the room and breathe fun and life back into the very sterile white box that we were isolated in. Lucy loved and would pet the kitty cat pillowcases as they were her favorite animal. She also loved her pretzel pillowcase, as that was her favorite food during treatment. She loved those pillowcases like they were her toys, always running over to the bag under the crib to pull one out to give to me. Who would have thought a pillowcase could mean so much?

Lucy tragically passed far too soon one month before her 2nd birthday. When we finally came home, we allowed the dust to settle as we pieced our home (that didn’t feel like home anymore) back together. I had our bag of several pillowcases that meant so much to our family.

I then reached out to the best sewers that I could think of for a referral on how I could get a memorial quilt made. I am forever grateful for this beautiful tribute and memorial quilt. I have snuggled up in it and wrapped myself around the positive memories that I hold so closely in. Each case and pattern tells a story and a memory of our time spent with our Lucy. Thank you Cathy and Terry for your kindness and generosity.” – Lucy’s Mom